Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 May 13;12(10):3444.
doi: 10.3390/jcm12103444.

Burden and Risk Factors of Postpartum Depression in Southwest Saudi Arabia

Safar Abadi Saeed Al-Saleem Alshahrani  1 , Norah Fayz Al-Saleh  2 , Aesha Farheen Siddiqui  1 , Shamsun Nahar Khalil  1 , Mohammed Abadi Alsaleem  1 , Hayfa A AlHefdhi  1 , Sahar Awad Al-Qadi  2 , Abdullah Ahmad Asiri  2
Affiliations

Burden and Risk Factors of Postpartum Depression in Southwest Saudi Arabia

Safar Abadi Saeed Al-Saleem Alshahrani et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Objectives: The burden of postpartum depression (PPD) is significant because it remains unrecognized, and it not only affects the mother adversely but also has a negative consequence on the family life and the development of the infant. The aim of the study was to measure the prevalence of PPD and identify the risk factors of PPD among mothers attending the well-baby clinic of six Primary Health Care centers in Abha city, Southwest Saudi Arabia.

Materials and methods: A total of 228 Saudi women having a child aged between two weeks to one year were recruited in the study by using a consecutive sampling technique. The Arabic version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was used as a screening tool to measure the prevalence of PPD. The mothers were also inquired about their socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors.

Results: The prevalence rate of postpartum depression was 43.4%. Family conflict, and lack of support by spouse and family during pregnancy were found to be the strongest predictors of developing PPD. Women who had reported family conflict were at six times higher risk for developing PPD compared to those who did not have a family conflict (aOR = 6.5, 95% CI = 2.3-18.4). Women who reported a lack of spousal support during pregnancy encountered 2.3 fold increased risk for PPD (aOR = 2.3, 95% CI = 1.0-4.8) and women who had not received family support during pregnancy period were more than three times (aOR = 3.5, 95 % CI 1.6-7.7) likely to experience PPD.

Conclusion: The risk of PPD among Saudi postnatal women was high. PPD screening should be an integral part of postnatal care. Awareness of women, spouses and families about potential risk factors can be a preventive strategy. The early identification of high-risk women during the antenatal and post-natal period could help to prevent this condition.

Keywords: Edinburgh postnatal depression scale; Saudi Arabia; depression; post-natal; post-partum.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Proportion of respondents with post-partum depression.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percentage distribution of postpartum depression cases by time since delivery.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association . Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. American Psychiatric Publishing; Arlington, VA, USA: 2013.
    1. Rezaie-Keikhaie K., Arbabshastan M.E., Rafiemanesh H., Amirshahi M., Mogharabi S., Sarjou A.A. Prevalence of the Maternity Blues in the Postpartum Period. J. Obstet. Gynecol. Neonatal Nurs. 2020;49:129–136. doi: 10.1016/j.jogn.2020.01.001. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Earls M.F., Yogman M.W., Mattson G., Rafferty J., Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child And Family Health Incorporating Recognition and Management of Perinatal Depression Into Pediatric Practice. Pediatrics. 2019;143:e20183259. doi: 10.1542/peds.2018-3259. - DOI - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization Maternal Mental Health. [(accessed on 15 March 2018)]. Available online: http://www.who.int/mental_health/maternal-child/maternal_mental_health/en/
    1. Fisher J., Cabral de Mello M., Patel V., Rahman A., Tran T., Holton S., Holmes W. Prevalence and determinants of common perinatal mental disorders in women in low- and lower-middle-income countries: A systematic review. Bull. World Health Organ. 2012;90:139G–149G. doi: 10.2471/BLT.11.091850. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources